It's been a long while since I have written. Thanks to my loyal followers who continue to check for updates. I'm sorry to leave you hanging.
My last blog entry left many puzzled. I'll offer a bit more info. and then it's on to grander things.
I found my neighbor in her apartment after she had been dead for a couple of days. The visual of such a thing was extremely frightening and I've struggled to erase it from memory. She was 47 and a sweet lady that we knew had some serious mental health issues. We were investigating ways to get her help. We were trying to share the gospel with her, and we tried to be Christlike neighbors. She was a diagnosed schizophrenic who was extremely paranoid about her neighbors. This often became my problem as I was the property manager to whom she'd report to. I was frustrated that some of my last communication with her annoyed me and I was tired of being bothered by her crazy imaginations. I was not as patient as I should have been and I wish that I could have gotten her help in time.
So, our days as property managers, always filled with excitement and visits from KCPD, were amazing to the very end. We have closed all business with one owner, we will transfer records and keys this week for another owner, and as soon as we can get this last unit ready for show - we are done!
We have moved into our new home, and we love it! We are not even close to being unpacked, and it will be quite awhile before pictures are hung. We filled the closets and basement with boxes and then ignored it all to vacation a bit.
My best friend in the world came to Kansas City from Idaho with her 5 kids and sister-in-law to visit and play. We went to the pool, to the fountains, to a concert, to Nauvoo, to the plays and the pageant. We camped, we swam, we shopped, we danced, we ate fudge, and we played hard. It was awesome!!!
The most amazing thing about it all...was how perfect it went. She was here for a week, and we did all these fun things with 8 kids and no men around to help. But it was still wonderful. Why? Because Jennifer is just that great! We are super compatible. We knew just what the kids needed and when. We knew what to feed them and how - where we could drag them and where we couldn't. We were able to keep them all bathed enough to be healthy, and clean enough not to be embarrassed. It was almost choreographed - how well we worked together.
I miss her terribly already! It is so completely wonderful to have a friend that is easy to be friends with. A friend that never drives you crazy is hard to find. It is a joy to simply sit and fold laundry with her, and it was a greater joy to run around madly having fun after more fun. She understands me, even when I'm wrong. She encourages me without making me feel small to begin with. Together we laugh, we smile, we cry, and we can talk about ANYTHING! Nothing is off limits. We learn from each other (I hope). I look up to her and she, for some reason, makes me believe that she looks up to me. We've grown together as moms and we've enjoyed watching our kids grow up to become wonderful young gentleman. It's hard to be so close to someone who lives so far away. I want to transport their little town of Firth and their thriving optometry office to the Mid-West and keep them for my very own.
Isn't it good to be loved? Especially by someone so fantastic.
Jennifer and I met 8 years ago in St. Louis, where I was her visiting teacher, and she was mine. We were fast friends and she's been a wonderful example to me for all of my years as a mom.
She taught me how to serve and has helped me to become the opinionated mom that I am. She's a passionate girl, as am I, and we speak the same language. Do you have a friend that knows what you're saying when you haven't really said anything? A friend that knows just what to say too? That's Jenn.
We had such a blast and I really needed some fun.
What a contrast it has been to spend a week playing and laughing and enjoying my kids, instead of taking phone calls, and sending emails, and processing rent checks. I feel alive again.
So, the only thing that I need now is a map to Idaho.
5 comments:
I'm so miffed here... I can't believe you had all this fun and never ONCE called me! Just kidding. But I can completely second how wonderful Jennifer is - she helped me in my transition to full-fledged motherhood as a new mommy with a colicky 6-week-old baby boy 1300 miles from my mom. I'll never forget her and hope I'm as lucky as you to see her and those cute kids again sometime. But you're really no slouch yourself, you know. I'd put you both in my neighborhood in a fraction of a heartbeat. I hope you're getting unpacked and settled in... I can't imagine the shock you experienced and I hate that things I see like that stay with me for as long as they do. I'm personally a lot more picky about what I see in movies than even what I read, because I think those visual things stick with me much longer. Call me next time you're in town!
Laura,
We'll be there for labor day. Are you available for a little fun that weekend?
When can you come visit us in K.C?
I need your decorating advise.
Don't kid yourself.
Nobody in Idaho speaks the same language that we do here in America.
And since when do we go to Nauvoo and not bring Dad back any fudge?!!
Good for you! It's about time you kicked the "management" habit and had some fun!
We will most definitely be here over labor day weekend, and I certainly love fun! Decorating advice? I can certainly think of more qualified people for that, although I love your fabric colors! I just painted my bedroom a similar hue.
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